With the release of Tom Hanks’ debut novel, he admits that his own primadonna behavior was a partial influence.
Tom Hanks is generally considered one of the nicest and most authentic guys in Hollywood, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t had his share of primadonna behavior and antics. While promoting his debut novel, which took much inspiration from his 40+-year career, Tom Hanks insisted he wasn’t immune to getting out of line from time to time.
Speaking with the BBC while plugging his novel (which came out on May 9th), Tom Hanks mentioned that, while he was inspired by those he’s collaborated with, he wasn’t shy about confronting his own on-set childishness. “I have pulled every single one of those moments of behaviour myself on a set…Not everybody is at their best every single day on a motion picture set.” Still, he knows that he has to maintain the poise and charisma that comes not just with the job, but with being Tom Hanks. “I’ve had tough days trying to be a professional when my life has been falling apart in more ways than one and the requirement for me that day is to be funny, charming and loving – and it’s the last way I feel.”
Tom Hanks’ debut novel, “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece”, is “about the making of a star-studded, multimillion-dollar superhero action film…and the humble comic books that inspired it.” It follows his 2017 short story collection, “Uncommon Type”, which was inspired by his love for typewriters. Now if we can just get a graphic novel about his obsession with lost gloves…
Adding to his perception of big-name actors, Tom Hanks added, “You will be amazed at how many people know that they can get away with it, and are told they can get away with it, because they are carrying the movie on their shoulders.” While Hanks is far too respectable to put anyone on blast, we can read between the lines here: Hooch was a real son of a bitch on the set.
Tom Hanks joins a fairly lengthy list of actors who have written novels, including Sean Penn, David Duchovny, Steve Martin, Ethan Hawke, and more.
Will you pick up Tom Hanks’ novel? Which movie could you see him being the most tumultuous while making? Let us know below.